Family
by emw314
Summary: Xander has family the others don't know about...
1. Merry Christmas

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or TFATF

A/N: This is the first in my crossover series. It is set 10 years prior to the movie, and 5 years prior to Buffy Season 1.

A/N 2: I was unhappy with how much I had posted previously, so I finished it and am re-posting it.

* * *

The teenager slouched in the back seat of the car, listening to his parents … well, they weren't fighting, but his dad was definitely setting the ground rules for this visit with his mom.

"I know she's your sister, she's family, but visiting has never gone well. If it wasn't for that bastard of a husband of hers, it really wouldn't be a problem. You've told her she can come stay with us if she needs? Bring the boy?"

"Yes, dear, I have. But she won't. He's her husband, and she's staying right there. Can't have a divorce in the family, now can we?"

He didn't think his mom could be so sarcastic. And this was her sister she was talking about. He didn't know much about his aunt or her family. There had been a big blow-up years ago, and they hadn't spoken since. Mom had been talking to her sister a bit over the last year, though, and they were trying a Christmas get-together.

The drive from LA to Sunnydale took two hours, but soon enough they were pulling up outside a suburban house. Not much to look at – the yard was a bit overgrown, seeing they were having visitors, and there were a couple of cars, nothing special, in the driveway. He looked over to his little sister and shrugged.

"Now, kids, there's probably only going to be one other kid here today, your cousin Alexander. I think he's a year younger than you, Mia, but I could be wrong. Anyway, try to play nice with him, okay?"

"Okay, Momma," Mia agreed.

"Yes, Mom," he agreed.

Their dad knocked on the door, and was greeted by a man that he guessed was his uncle. Just going lunchtime, and he looked drunk already. Dad drank, but never got that pissed. He didn't even greet them, just looked at them, and walked away, leaving the door wide open.

"Jess, it's your sister. Get out here."

Yeah. Nice.

A woman came out of the kitchen, arms open. "Connie," she called out, before sweeping his mom up in a hug. He didn't think he aunt was that much older than his mom, but she sure looked it. "Come in, come in," she welcomed, before turning to screech up the stairs, "Xander, get your butt down here. Your cousins are here."

He looked around the room while waiting for his cousin to come downstairs. He listened with half an ear to the adults. Aunt Jessica was gushing over how pretty Mia was, and how tall he was. He smiled grimly at her as she patted his cheek. He could smell the booze from here.

A boy came down the stairs, nervously, he thought. Aunt Jessica called him over. "There you are Xander. Here are your cousins, Maria and Nicky."

He winced. God! She couldn't even get their names right.

"It's Mia and Dominic," his mom corrected.

Aunt Jessica nodded absently. "Okay, so you take them off to play, now. And behave yourself, you hear?"

"Yes, Mom," the boy answered softly.

He looked at the boy as he led them back upstairs. Smaller than Mia, though they were supposed to be about the same age. Dark, floppy hair, skinny, with clothes that looked a bit big on him. Probably supposed to grow into them.

Xander led them into his bedroom – not much to look at, no pile of toys, but then Uncle Tony and Aunt Jessica didn't look like they spoiled their only child. "So, uh, Dominic and Mia, is it? Well, I don't really have much to play with. Comics and action figures, really. Some cars. Not much. Oh, but, my friend, Willow, will be coming over later. She comes over every year to watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' 'cause she's Jewish, and her Dad won't let her watch it at their place, so we watch it here every year, and she's my best friend in the whole world, except for Jesse, but he's having Christmas at his place, with his family, so he doesn't come over to watch the show."

Dom looked at the kid in amazement. "You need to breathe there, kid?"

Xander blushed, and seemed to shrink into himself. "Oh, sorry. I do that. I babble. Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Hey, no," Dom grinned. "It's okay. I just never heard anyone do that before."

"Oh. You should hear Willow. She does that, too. We can get really bad together. Jesse doesn't though. Babble, that is."

"Cool," the teenager decided. "So, what comics you got here?"

* * *

Dom was sitting on the bed, going through his cousin's comics when his uncle's voice boomed up the stairs. "Boy, get your lazy ass down here. Your girlfriend is here."

Xander's head popped up, and he grinned wildly. "That's Willow," he crowed as he jumped to his feet. Then he realised what his father had said, and stopped. Turning to his cousins, he went on, "Uh, she's not my girlfriend. She's my friend. Who's a girl. But not my girlfriend."

By this time, Xander was blushing, and Dom suspected the boy was about to launch into some kind of explanatory babble, so he just grinned and told him they got it.

Xander sighed, relieved. "So you want to come down and watch the movie? In the basement, that is. There won't be any adults down there. We always watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas.' Do you want to come?"

Already Dom was sick of how his cousins parents treat him. A kid shouldn't be so wary of adults, not like that. He shouldn't be so grateful for a little acceptance. The boy was a good kid. Why couldn't his parents realise that?

Dom and Mia followed Xander downstairs at a normal pace, rather than the boy's own breakneck speed. Dom grinned as he saw his cousin bounce over to his 'bestest friend.' At least someone appreciated him. Introductions were made, and the little red-head, Willow, welcomed them to Sunnydale. Yeah, good kids.

The afternoon passed, the movie, the Snoopy Dance – wasn't that an experience – and dinner, with attendant shouting match. Dom looked over to the kids table, and, for the first time ever, wished he was there. At least there he was guaranteed a decent conversation. And wasn't that saying something about his cousin's family.

Dom and the kids finally escaped out the back after dinner, and he decided that he was going to hide out there until it was time to go. This afternoon, he wasn't going to be a cool sixteen year old, who was fixing up a car, and had dreams of racing the circuit. This afternoon, he was playing with his sister, his goofy cousin, and his cousin's friend. Tomorrow he would deny it all, but today he was having fun.

* * *

It was late now. Willow had gone home before sunset, and his mom had tidied the dining room and kitchen, despite his aunt's protests. Mom never could leave a house messy, he thought with a grin. The fighting had quietened a little while ago, with his dad grimly stepping back from Uncle Tony's taunts. Despite growing up with the teaching of 'don't start a fight, but make sure you finish it,' Dom was proud of his dad for stepping back. Uncle Tony was a drunk, and a loud and mean one at that. Trouble, by definition.

Dom wandered back into Xander's room, to see him pulling out a sleeping bag. "What's up, Xan?"

"Oh, I'm just getting ready to go to bed," the boy explained with a small smile.

Dom looked at the bed, confused. "Looks fine to me. Why do you need a sleeping bag?"

Xander bit his lip, and looked a little guilty. "It's just that I sleep outside on Christmas night. In the back yard."

"By yourself?"

"Yeah. But that's okay. 'Cause it's just the back yard. You know, fenced and all."

"Xan, I'm not sure that's a really smart thing. It's cold out there, and, well, anything could happen."

Xander looked around the room as he fidgeted. "I can't," he whispered.

"You can't what?"

"It's Christmas, Dom. I can't stay in here for Christmas. I just can't."

In the quiet bedroom, Dom could hear his uncle's voice start up again. "Yeah. I guess." looking down, he ruffled his cousin's hair. "You stay safe, now, you hear? You get in trouble, and I'm going to come down and thump you myself."

The boy grinned, then hefty a mighty sigh. "Okay, Dom. If I must."

* * *

Dom settled back into his seat, watching the houses thin out as they left the town. "I hate it, Dad," he muttered.

"What do you hate, Dom?"

"Xander. We're leaving him in hell."


	2. Freshman Summer: Arrival

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or TFATF.

* * *

Xander hunted around for his book bag. One last week of school, then he was free for 3 whole months – hallelujah! Maybe he should wish Willow 'mazel tov' or something. It was a thought. Except for the fact that she actually enjoyed school, got it, could sit still for it, all that. He was just glad that there was only one more week of torture left before he could be free to goof off with his best friends. He may not have many friends, but Will and Jesse were all he needed.

He left his bedroom, and was about to race downstairs to head out to school, when he heard his parents talking. Of course, his father would have to lower his voice for it to normally be considered talking, but that was just him.

"I don't care," Tony's voice came up the stairs. "The boy's in high school now. He can go off to your family's place for the Summer."

There was a pause when his mother must have spoken, then came Tony's reply. "You just get on the phone, and tell them that the boy is coming down. He's staying for the whole Summer, too. God! It'll be good to get some damn peace and quiet in this house!"

'Huh! Peace and quiet in this house,' Xander thought. 'That would happen sometime after you're dead, won't it? Shit. At Mom's family's place for the whole Summer. So much for our plans.' He sighed. 'Well, better break the news to Will and Jess. They deserve some warning. Ha – wonder how much warning I'll get? Oh, well, better get moving.'

With care, Xander made sure to sneak out of the house without either parent noticing he had still been inside to hear their conversation.

* * *

Biting his bottom lip, Xander carefully crept up behind the slender redhead before swooping and wrapping his arms around her, pinning her arms to her body, and lifting her in the air.

"Xander!" she squeaked. "How could you do that to me?" Willow demanded after he had put her down again.

"Um, it was fun?"

"No, mister poopyhead, it was not funny. You scared me."

"Oh, Will," Xander began, pulling out the big-gun puppy dog eyes, "I'm sorry for scaring you. Will you forgive me?"

She groaned. "Yes, Xander, I forgive you. Now don't do it again," she added, frowning.

"Yes, Will," he agreed, grinning. Then he slung his arm around her shoulders, and walked with her towards the school. "So, got any plans for the Summer?"

"Yeah. Mom and Dad are taking me to some conferences. Other stuff. I'm going to be away for most of the holidays. Sorry."

"Don't be. I'm pretty sure I'm getting shipped off for the Summer. 'Course, that means that Jesse's going to be stuck here all Summer by himself."

"Oh, no," Willow sighed mournfully.

"Oh, no what?" Jesse asked, coming up on Willow's other side.

"Neither of us are going to be here this Summer," Willow sighed.

Jesse frowned at Xander. "Huh? What's the deal?"

"I'm being shipped of to someone else's place. Uncle or Aunt Somebody. Don't know who."

"Where would they be?" Willow asked.

"Well, Mom has a sister in LA, and another in, um, Seattle? And I think Dad has some family in, ah, nope, can't remember where. Apart from Uncle Rory, of course."

"And what's the chances of you being shipped to LA?" Jesse wanted to know.

"As little as possible, I'm guessing."

"Yeah. That bites."

"The big one," Xander agreed. "So you going to be okay for the Summer?"

"Yeah. I'll figure something out. And we can talk, can't we?"

"We better be able to. Once a fortnight, or once a week, even," Xander agreed.

"I'll try calling, too," Willow promised. "I'll be all over the place, so I might get the time zones wrong, but I'll try to do it right."

Xander snorted. "Yeah. You could get the time zones wrong. That's going to happen."

* * *

The week had been long and short. Long, because Xander hated school, and the last week before freedom seemed to be the longest, but the moments outside of school had just vanished as he watched his expulsion from Sunnydale approach. And then there he was, exhausted, standing on the footpath, checking an address. The house was lit up, and loud with the sounds of a party. There were cars everywhere, and he could see a lot of people through the front windows. He checked the address again, and walked up to the front door.

He peered through the open door, looking for his cousin. A man stepped into the front hall and noticed him, so walked up to the door. "Can I help you?"

Xander gulped. The man looked scary – the muscles, the tattoos, the attitude all added up to someone he really didn't want to piss off. "Ah, I'm looking for my cousin, Dominic Toretto. Is this the right place?"

"Oh, hey, yeah. He said someone was coming. What's your name, kid?"

"Xander. Um, Harris. So is he here?"

"Yeah. Where's your parents?" he added, looking out the door.

"Um, home. I think. I guess."

Vince looked down at the kid. A bit on the scrawny side, and wearing too much for Summer. Long sleeves in this heat! Still carrying his duffle, and looking a bit scared, but not backing down. "So how'd you get here?"

"Bus, then walked."

Vince felt his jaw clench. "Why didn't you call? Dom would have come for you."

The boy blushed, and started playing with his the hem of his shirt. "Mom forgot to give me the phone number. But she gave me the address," he offered brightly.

"Uh huh. Hey, let me take that," Vince offered, reaching for the duffle. "Let's get you set up. You had something to eat yet?"

"Yeah, I had some lunch."

"In case you didn't notice, kid, it's kinda night time now. I'll take you up to Mia, and she can get you something to eat and drink while I talk to Dom and get your bag to your room. I think you're sharing with Jesse, so you might just have to sleep a little heavy," he added with a grin. "And no touching the computers," he warned.

"Oh, okay. Not a problem. And thanks, ah …?"

"Name's Vince," the man introduced. "I live here. So do Jesse and Leon. Letty's with Dom, and Mia's here too, of course. And here she is," he added, knocking on a door.

When the girl came to the door, Vince introduced them, and let her know Xander needed something to eat. He then dropped Xander's bag in the bedroom he was going to share before going down to find Dom. He was pretty sure Dom would be about as impressed with the boy's parents as he, himself, was.

* * *

Dominic was talking to Letty when Vince walked up to them, frowning. "What's up?"

"Your cousin's here," Vince explained.

Dom grinned as he stood. "Great. Where are they?"

"No, just him. He's in the kitchen getting something to eat."

"What do you mean, it's just him? Where are his parents?"

"Back home, apparently."

"When did he get here?"

"Just now."

"Vince," Dom growled.

"Boy said he took the bus, then walked. His mom didn't even give him your number, and what taxi is going to pick up a kid with a bag, 'specially coming out here?"

"Your shitting me!"

"Looked spooked coming in here, too. I thought he had a decent home?"

Dom thought for a moment. "What decent family dumps their kid on some cousins they only saw once, something like five years ago? And for the whole Summer, at that."

Vince shrugged. "So his family is shit. He can still have a cool Summer. Cars, girls, all that," he added, grinning.

Dom rolled his eyes as he stood to find his cousin. "We'll go easy on the girls. He's just a kid, okay?"

"Yeah. Like you weren't doing it at his age," Vince grinned.

* * *

Xander was devouring a sandwich when Dom entered the kitchen. He looked up at his cousin, and with wide eyes, attempted to inhale his mouthful, and promptly started choking. Several hefty thumps, and half a glass of milk later, Xander found himself finally able to breathe properly. "Hey, there," he mumbled."

"You right there?" Dom asked, seemingly amused.

"Yeah. You're bigger than I remember. It was a bit of a shock, is all."

Dom laughed. "That's okay, Xan. You'll grow up someday, too."

"Here's hoping," the boy agreed. "So..." he began nervously, "You okay with this? Being lumped with me all Summer, I mean."

His cousin snorted. "Hell, yeah. I don't get the feeling that your parents have changed much since I saw them last, so getting you away from them is no problem at all. I probably would have tried earlier, but things weren't that good around here for a while. Doubt your parents even knew what was happening, but ..." he shrugged. "It's okay now. Okay. So your Summer. We can't take you anywhere special," Dom began, but Xander interrupted him before he could go further.

"No, that's okay. I don't want to put you guys out. Just so long as I have somewhere to hang. Maybe I can, I don't know, do something to help?"

Dom grinned. "Sounds good. The way I figure, you can help Mia out at the store, and you can also help out at the workshop. We tune cars. I doubt your dad ever bothered to teach you anything, so we can teach you about cars. Might even look at getting something from the wrecker for you to fix up, then it's all yours, and you know how to look after it. How's that sound?"

"Man! That sounds great! I get to learn about cars?" Xander's eyes and smile were both wide and bright.

"Sure. There's other stuff, too. We don't work all day every day. It just won't be a fancy holiday like some of your friends might have."

"That's okay. All I was going to do at home was just hang with my friend all Summer. Neither of us were going anywhere, so that's cool. Will I be able to ring Jesse? He's the one stuck at home this Summer, and I kind of said I would try to ring him. Is that okay?" Xander added in a rush.

"Yeah, sure. Not all the time. But, sure, you can call your friend."

"Cool," the boy grinned.


	3. Freshman Summer: Fitting In

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or TFATF.

A/N: Just so you know, I am not a real car enthusiast. I am a car appreciator. I see pretty cars, and I drool. I watch 'Top Gear' and various movies, and wish I could drive like that. What happens under the bonnet (hood) – well, I let my brother deal with that. When he starts speaking, I just smile and nod. Translation: don't expect any details. Ain't gonna happen.

* * *

Xander bounded down the stairs in a good mood. Last night had been … interesting. Dom seemed to like him, which was amazing, and Mia had certainly known how to feed a growing boy. Of course, Dom and his friends were all huge, and scary looking, but even Vince, the big, scary, biker-looking guy, seemed to like him. So they weren't taking him to Disneyland. It wasn't like that was ever in the cards for him. But they were going to teach him about cars, and help him fix one up. That was going to be a blast! Ha! He was going to have something to write about if the teacher made them do a 'What I Did Last Summer' essay.

Moving into the kitchen, he found a bowl and spoon, and looked around for a box of cereal. Vince and Leon were already there, Leon at the table, Vince propped up against the counter. Vince stared at Xander like he was something the cat had not only dragged in, but spat up while doing so. "What the hell is that, kid?" he demanded.

Xander stopped and looked at the bowl in his hand. "Ah... Breakfast?" he offered.

"Hell, no. That shirt. Don't you know it's Summer? What are you wearing that for?"

He looked at the long-sleeved tee under a long-sleeved shirt. "Um, well, it's what I wear."

"But why? It's too hot for that. Don't you have any tees, or tanks maybe?"

Xander looked around at the others. Vince was wearing a tank, while Leon was wearing a tee under a short-sleeved shirt. From what little he could remember from the previous night, no one had worn long sleeves at the house. He shrugged. "It's all I have. Sorry," he mumbled.

Vince snorted. "It's not like you go out and buy your own stuff, is it. You're how old? I just thought your mom might get you something decent to wear."

"My mom -" Xander began heatedly.

"What the hell are you doing, Vince?" Dom demanded as he entered the kitchen.

Vince shrugged. "Kid's wearing too much for Summer. Seems like his mom can't dress him decent."

"Lay off the kid's mom, okay? You know better than that." Dom then turned his attention to his cousin. "You do need other clothes, though. Don't know what it's like back home, but it gets really hot here, especially in the workshop. Mia will get you a couple of packs of tees or something, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Xander agreed, ducking his head. "You don't really have to. I've got clothes."

Dom reached out to ruffle the boy's hair. "Yeah, but I want to. You're going to need them."

"Thanks, Dom."

* * *

Xander looked around and grinned. Who needed Disneyland when he had this. His cool cousin, Dom, had taken him in his own car to the workshop. The lot them, Dom, Letty, Vince, Leon and Jesse, drove together, and parked, one after another, with amazing skill. Just the drive had been a blast – Dom really could drive, Xander decided. And the workshop was amazing. As Dom said, if he couldn't find a tool there, it wasn't worth having. The place was huge, and there were massive tool chests everywhere. And the cars! They might be all small, and a bit dinky looking, but Dom said that any of them could take on a muscle car over the quarter mile, and stand a good chance of winning. And so that was the kind of car he was getting. A small, cheap import that he could do up well enough to maybe, one day, race.

Actually, thinking about it, he was saying a lot of 'Dom said', even in his own head. He'd probably be really bad by the time he got home. He'd probably drive his parents crazy with it. Cool!

"Xan, over here," Dom called with a grin. "Lets get you started on what's in a car."

* * *

"Jesse?"

"Hey, Xan-man!" his friend cried out. "How's it going in big, bad LA?"

"Pretty cool, man," Xander replied, excited. "My cousin, he's really cool. He has a workshop, and they fix cars, and he's going to teach me about cars, and help me fix up a car, and it's going to be mine, and I'm going to learn to drive it, and he's so cool!"

Jesse rocked back, laughing. "Oh, man, I've missed your and Willow's babbling. It's so quiet here in the 'Dale. And no one talks like you and Will. So what else?"

"Um. Oh, they're really nice here. Mia always makes sure I have plenty to eat, and they got me some clothes, because my shirts are too hot for working in the workshop, and they're acting like I'm really family."

"And why would they be doing that? Oh, yeah, because you're family?"

Xander shrugged. "Yeah, but..."

"Your parents are jerks, man. They wouldn't know how to treat family if they were smacked in the face. You deserve more than that."

"Jess..."

"Yeah, I know, they're your parents. Still, it's nice that you have some good family. Enjoy it. If your parents find out, they might not let you back."

"Gee, thanks for that," Xander muttered sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Jesse replied, with saccharine sweetness.

"Have you spoken with Will?"

"Yesterday. Hey, give me your number, so I can pass it on to her." After a moment of scratching around, Jesse found a piece of paper, and copied down the number. "Anyway, she said she was in New York at the moment, and it's hot, too. Then her parents are flying to Europe for some stuff, but she's going to camp for a month. She thinks she might be back her for a week or two before school starts, but she doesn't know anything other than that. And she misses you, and wishes we were all together, and stuff, and can't wait to get back to school."

"Big shock there," Xander replied, rolling his eyes. The only good things about school were his friends, and lunch.

The two friends continued chatting for a few more minutes before Xander decided he had to end the call. Jesse promised, again, to pass on Xander's phone number, and they made their goodbyes.

"You okay?" Dom asked, when Xander remained by the phone.

The boy looked up and smiled. "Yeah. I miss my friends, but it's not like I'm homesick or anything. And I'll be seeing them soon enough."

His cousin smiled. "Good."

* * *

"Xander," Vince called out. "It's your girlfriend."

Xander winced and he got up from the floor. After everything that had happened the previous night, Vince just had to say that. "Friend. Friend who is a girl. Not a girlfriend."

"Just as well," Dom growled, smirking. "I don't think Donna would be too impressed."

"Or Kym," Leon chimed in.

"Or Gia," was Letty's contribution.

Nearly out of the room, Xander turned to his other cousin. She shrugged. "I was going to be nice, and not say anything. But now I'll be telling Allondra."

He shook his head. "For the love of Pete," he muttered. He scowled at the man holding the phone, and all but snatched it out of his hand. Propping himself up against the wall, he took a breath. "Hey, Will, what's the what?"

"What was that all about? Do you have a girlfriend? What's she like? Is she nice? She does know you're coming back to Sunnydale at the end of Summer, doesn't she?"

"Easy on, Will!" Xander yelped. "No, I don't have a girlfriend. They were just teasing me. Dom took me to a street race last night, and apparently all the girls think I'm just the cutest thing since … um, some really cute thing. All of them. There was the patting of the hair, and the pinching of the cheeks, and the awwing and the 'isn't he so cute' -ing. It felt like I was being attacked by a pack of grandmothers."

After a moment of silence, he frowned. "Will? Are you still there?"

"Sorry, Xan," she whispered.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"No?"

"I can hear you laughing at me. You are, aren't you?"

With that, she burst into peals of laughter. Xander sighed, and waited for it to be over.

When she finally had control of herself, Willow asked, "So did you have a good night? Other than the, er," she finished with a snort of laughter.

He cleared his throat, and shifted. "Yeah. Actually, it was really cool. There were all these really hot cars, and everyone was just wandering around looking at them, and they had their hoods open, and everything. And Vince raced against some other guys, and won, and so did Letty. Dom didn't race – I think he was waiting for someone, but they didn't turn up. And they he drove me home in his car. It's really great."

"Uh huh. So you had fun?"

"Yeah. Well, except for the whole 'cute' thing. So where are you now?"

"New York. I went to one of the museums today – they had a display of medieval weaponry, and Mom told me about war, and how bad it is for women."

* * *

When Xander finally returned to the lounge room, Dom looked him over. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Willow's parents have been taking her around New York. Museums and stuff." He made a face. "But at least they're spending some time with her this time. Well, this week, anyway. She'll be off to camp soon. Oh, and before I forget, and for everyone's future reference, Willow is my friend who just happens to be a girl. I have known her since kindergarten, and thinking of her as my girlfriend is just too ew for words. Okay?"

"So I don't have to tell Gloria to back off?" Mia asked.

Xander quickly found a cushion to throw at her.


	4. The Harvest

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to BtVS or TFATF

A/N: I'm having trouble finishing the last part of Freshman Summer, so am moving on. I will get around to finishing the other story eventually.

* * *

"Dom?"

The tall man hissed at the sound of his cousin's voice. "Xan? What's the problem? Do you need me to come get you?"

"It's Jesse," Xander whispered. "My Jesse. God! I can't believe it."

"What happened?" Dom asked, heart heavy.

Xander laughed, but it was an empty sound. "Monsters, Dom. The things that are in your nightmares. They're real."

Dom hesitated. "Freddy Krueger's real?"

"No!" Xander all but shouted. "God! I hope not!" he added. "No. Vampires. Demons. They're real. Please believe me," he whispered.

"Talk to me."

"Vampires. They're here. They got Jesse. They turned him. God! He was right there. He was different, Dom. He was … strong." Xander stopped for a moment, then went on. "He was right there, Dom. Right in front of me. And I had a stake out, right in front of me. And he was saying that I couldn't do it, I didn't have the guts to do it …" He took a shuddering breath. "And then a girl bumped him, Dom. Bumped him right onto my stake. And he was gone. And the last thing I saw was his eyes, his face. The way he looked at me. I was holding the stake, and he's gone, Dom. Jesse's gone."

Dom leaned back against the wall, trying to think. "So what now?"

"What now? School on Monday. And no one's even going to think anything happened. That's the way it is around here. You know, I didn't even think about it, but we have a weekly obituary about a mile long around here. And people go missing all the time. Leading cause of death? Death by barbeque fork. How weird is that?"

"Is there going to be a funeral?"

"No. He's just going to go down as missing. He dusted, Dom. There's nothing left. What can I do? Go back and scoop up his ashes, take them to his parents, and say 'sorry about your loss'?"

"What about the cops, Xan? What about the adults?"

"The cops?" Xander laughed again, a little hysterical this time. "They're useless. They don't even come out at night unless they really have to. And the adults are worse than useless. They're blind. They won't see. Most people just won't see, Dom."

"So why you?"

"Why else?" Xander cleared his throat. "There was a girl." Xander waited for Dom's laughter to stop before continuing. "Yeah, yeah. So there was a new girl, Buffy. She transferred after burning her old school's gym down. Vampires," he added in explanation. "She was expelled, and no LA school would take her. Or, I guess, no LA school that her mom wanted her to go to would take her. So she came here, to good old Sunnydale. Where we have lots of vampires. Which works, 'cause apparently she's this mystical 'Vampire Slayer'. I'll tell you now, she could kick your butt, and the rest of the team's at the same time. Buff's buff," he added.

"So she's, what, Supergirl? You got a Supergirl named Buffy?"

"Um, yeah? She can still get hurt, but you know. She's really fast and strong. Really strong!"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know if she forgets how strong she is when she thumps me, or if she does it on purpose. But I can be man enough to say it hurts!"

"And she kills the vampires?"

"Yeah. We help. Just not so much with the vampire-slayage. 'Cause, you know, not so super."

"So how do you do it? How do you kill the vampires?"

"Ah, all the usuals. Stake to the heart is popular, and also cutting off the head, or burning, or daylight. I think garlic doesn't work. It just stinks. But they are supposed to have really sensitive noses, so that might just make them want to stay away. Um. Oh, they can't come into your house unless you invite them."

"So all the classics?"

"Yeah. And they're faster and stronger than us. Which is why Buffy's … the way she is."

Xander sighed, and Dom let the silence hang for a moment. "Do you want me to come pick you up? I can drop you back Sunday night, in time for school."

"Could you? I just want to get away for a couple of days. Just … not here."

"I'll be there in a couple of hours."

"Thanks, Dom."


	5. Hyena

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or TFATF

* * *

"Dom?"

Dom Toretto stiffened when he heard the greeting. His young cousin rarely rang – he parents were too stingy to allow the cost – so if Xander was calling, then it was something important. "What's the problem, Xan?"

"I'd ask if there had to be a problem to call you, but … yeah. Um. Can I stay? Just for the weekend," he added quickly.

"Sure. You want me to come pick you up?"

"Yeah. I'm in LA, At the bus station. Um. I kind of had to get out of the 'Dale, so, well, here I am."

The older man grinned. "Sure, Xan. Not a problem. I'll be there in half an hour, okay?"

"Thanks, man. You're a life-saver. And I'll tell you all about it. It's of the weird, but... Actually, it is kind of bad." Dom could hear the sudden sadness in the boy's voice. "Stuff happened, you know? So … yeah."

"Be there soon," Dom promised.

* * *

The tall man stalked into the depot as if he owned the place. Scanning the area, he quickly found his cousin and walked over. He smiled slightly at the sleeping boy, then reached down and shook him awake. "Xan? Come on, man, time to go."

"Dom?" the sleepy boy mumbled. He uncurled himself from the chair, stood and stretched. "Thanks, man. I really appreciate this."

"It's cool, Xan. You need me, I'm here." He grabbed the boy's backpack and led the way to the car. "So you want to talk now, or when we get home?"

"Now might be better. You came alone?"

"Yeah."

Xander took a breath. "So you know about the vampires," he began nervously.

"You still doing that?" Dom asked tensely.

"Yeah. Still helping. Doing what I can. So. We had a field trip this week. The zoo."

Dom smiled slightly. "Nice time of year. Good to be outside, not stuck in a classroom."

"Yeah. That's what we told Buffy. She wasn't so into it, but the whole 'not in school' thing really did it for her," he smiled. "She said things were all shiny and new." Xander looked away and shrugged. "Then I saw some bullies take a kid into the Hyena house. I followed in, 'cause not really a slay-worthy thing. Just bullies. Except the hyenas were special. They had primals, or were primals." He frowned. "Not really sure on that one. Whatever. Well, there was stuff painted on the floor, and I walked in and they were trying to feed the kid to the hyenas, but I called them on it, so they stopped. Except that, well, aggressive act, and voodoo paint on the floor, and primals? Apparently they're really mixy things, 'cause, next thing, the bullies and me were all sporting shiny new primal spirits large and in charge."

Dom glanced at his cousin. "So you're talking possession?"

"Yep. Good news? I got the pack leader. Bad news? _She's_ a _matriarch_."

Dom's lips twitched. "You got possessed by a girl?"

Xander scowled at the man. "I got possessed by the _alpha_ of a _primal hyena pack_. Can we please find some kind of good in this? 'Cause, frankly? Not much else of the good."

"So what happened?"

Xander shifted in his seat, and stared outside for a few minutes. When he finally began to speak, Dom noticed how different he sounded. Gone were the usual tones and mannerisms, replaced by a soft, flat, matter-of-fact voice.

"The bullies became my pack. Kyle, Rhonda, Tor, and Heidi. Ate the school mascot. Bullied Will. I tried to rape Buffy, while the others killed and ate Principal Flutie. Tried to get Willow. Would have killed her, I think."

Dom looked at his young cousin, horrified. "Fuck," he whispered. "It's gone, now, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Giles figured out what was going on, and Buffy lured us back to the Hyena house so they could exorcise the spirits. Didn't go quite the way they planned, but they're gone now. So's the zoo-keeper that planned it all. Seems he wanted all that power for himself, and believe me, there was power to be had. I nearly had Buffy. She had to take me out with a desk to the head, that's how close it got. Anyway, the spirits went back into the hyenas, and the keeper got knocked into the pen with them, so he's hyena chow. Or, you know, hyena poop by now," he added with a slight smile.

Xander turned back to look out the window again. "Told the girls I didn't remember a thing. Giles knows I lied about that, but he's not calling me on it. Not to the girls, anyway. He's good like that," Xander added.

"You like that librarian, don't you?"

He smiled. "Yeah. I mean, he's all stiff and British, and all that, but I kind of get the feeling he's getting to like us. I mean, we're so not the way it's supposed to happen, but we are helping. Really actually helping. And we're not going away. I mean, Will's finally got a girl-type friend, and it means Buffy's got a friend, and not all lonesome-girl, and where Will goes, I go, apart from the whole 'got to kill the vampires thing' which I really want to do, even if I'm not any good at it, but..."

"Guy's lucky to have you, and don't you ever doubt that," Dom growled.

Xander smiled at his cousin, and nodded. He hoped he never disappointed the man. The first family who'd given a damn was not something you wanted to mess up. Whatever Dom said took on a sheen of pronouncements from on high, and yet he took the confession of Xander-the-hyena as nothing worth ditching him for.

The car was quiet for the remainder of the trip, but Dom pulled the boy aside as they were about to walk into the house. "Your Giles, he ever train you?"

"Uh, no. He's kind of busy. What with the library, and the Watching, and stuff. He trains Buffy, and does research."

Dom shook his head. "Not good enough. I'm going to have a word with the man. You need training. I got plans of my own, but your librarian needs to pull some weight, too." He patted the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, kid. Let's just have a bit of fun for the weekend."

Xander nodded and smiled, then went in to greet his family, his normal, goofy smile firmly in place. When Dom followed, his sister met his eyes, and raised an eyebrow. Dom shook his head, so she nodded, and went to make Xander something to eat. Dom decided to wait until Monday to make his phone call.


	6. Following Up

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or TFATF

* * *

Rupert Giles absently reached to answer the phone. "Library," he murmured.

"That Rupert Giles?" the man on the other end asked.

Giles' distraction vanished at the sound of that voice. He didn't know who it belonged to, but the tone was familiar. Whoever was calling was someone who was used to being in charge, someone … dominant. Someone he used to be.

"Rupert Giles speaking," he admitted cautiously.

"Name's Dom Toretto. Xan ever mention me to you?"

"You're his cousin, in LA," Giles nodded. "He always lights up when he speaks of you. I'm glad that he has family that cares for him."

"He's family, it's what you do. Even if he wasn't, he's a good kid. Got a good heart."

"That he does. So how may I help you today?"

"Boy told me about that little incident last week. Told me a lot about what goes on up there."

Giles felt a chill go through him. "Exactly how much has he told you?"

"I know about you and your girl," the other man offered. "Don't be hard on him. He needs someone to talk to, someone he can trust, someone not there. You want him to talk to the girls about how he nearly raped his best friend?"

"Dear Lord," Giles murmured. He shook his head. "He could always talk to me," he argued.

"You're a Brit," the other man countered, and Giles could hear the humour in his voice. "I'm sure you're all cuddly and shit. Boy needs someone who'll listen. Someone he knows, who knows him. He's known me longer than you, trusts me to always be family, always back him." There was a pause before he went on. "I can keep secrets, okay? I get that you need to be quiet about all this shit, and I'm the only one he talks to. It's a big thing you're doing there, not something I ever want to have to do. It's dangerous in ways I never got into, and I admire you for that. Thing is, boy don't have any skills. He's sixteen, and he ain't never learned how to fight. We fuck around here, but it's nothing you want to use against anything … you know."

"Quite," Giles murmured, not quite sure if he liked where the conversation was heading.

"Like I told Xan, I got plans. But I need to know what you're going to do about it."

"About … what, precisely?" Giles asked, puzzled.

"Training him," Dom replied, and Giles rather thought he could hear a sneer in the man's voice.

"Er, well, I'm not really supposed to train, well, others," Giles offered.

"Really," Dom asked sourly. "So you can take on kids, but you can't train them?"

"I'm not supposed to allow Willow and Xander anything to do with … what we do."

"Well, if you're not supposed to let them join you, but you do, how about you do something about training them, too. You got to know how dangerous this is. They could get killed. This is my family we're talking about, so I want to know what you're going to do to keep him safe. And don't tell me you're going to tell him to step back, 'cause you know that's never going to happen."

"No," Giles murmured, thinking of the stubbornness of the boy, "quite."

"So what are you going to do about it?" the younger man demanded.

"Well..." Giles considered his response. "What would you like me to do about it?"

"I want you to teach the boy. I want you to make it so that he has every chance of surviving high school. Fuck, man. He's in high school, for fuck's sake. He should be worrying about grades and shit like that. I should be thinking of teaching him how to handle bullies, not worrying about vampires! There's got to be something you can do!"

"I can train him," Giles decided. "I can teach him the rudiments of the trade. But it's not something that happens quickly. It, it takes years to make a Watcher," Giles warned.

Dom scoffed. "I don't want him to be no Watcher. I want him to survive. Can you do that? Do you think you can manage that?"

"I, yes. Yes, I can do that. Does he understand it will mean extra work?"

"Don't know. But we'll make him understand."

"And school work. He is not a stupid child. My training him will be contingent on him maintaining an appropriate grade average."

There was silence for a long moment. "Contingent? Jeez," the other man chuckled. "You shouldn't use words like that on me. I ain't a Brit like you, you know. Okay. Alright. Xan has to make his grades to be allowed to play. I want him to do well, so that's okay. And if you have a problem with it, I'll talk to the boy."

"Good. Thank you. It will actually work out for me, too," Giles conceded.

"It will?"

"Yes. Well, if you can imagine how it is for someone like me to have to spar with a teenaged girl who is strong enough to make vampires quail, then you will understand why I am so willing to have someone else trained up to help out."

Dom snorted. "Yeah. 'Cause being beat up by a girl is good for a boy's ego."

"If I can withstand it, Xander will just have to, also," Giles pronounced austerely.

Dom chuckled. "I don't mind you, Brit," he decided. "You ever need help with your car, give me a call."

Giles smiled. "Thank you. I do appreciate it, and I am very glad Xander has someone who actually cares about him. I was beginning to get a little concerned about his family."

Dom snorted again. "Yeah," he muttered sourly. "Less said about them the better. At least they ain't getting between me and the boy."

"Quite."

* * *

Giles looked up with the teenaged trio wandered into the library, chatting. "Ah, Xander," he greeted. "Just the person I was wanting to see. It would appear that your grades are about to take a turn for the better."


End file.
